Poole Harbour sightings blog

A record of all interesting and notable sightings from around the harbour throughout the year.

Latest Sightings

Harbour Update – posted 21/08/18

Posted on: August 22nd, 2018 by Birds of Poole Harbour

There were 8 Spoonbill on Brownsea. 9 Grey Plover, 1 Marsh Harrier, 90 Black-tailed Godwit and 3 Osprey in Middlebere. 5 Greenshank, 2 Common Sandpiper and 2 Green Sandpiper on Lytchett Fields. 1 ringtail Hen Harrier over Swineham.


Harbour Update – posted 20/08/18

Posted on: August 22nd, 2018 by Birds of Poole Harbour

The Great White Egret infux continues with 2 in Holes Bay NW today. There was also a Wood Sandpiper, 1 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Hobby and a Pied Flycatcher at the Sunnyside Scrape. In Middlebere 2 Spoonbill, 2 Osprey. On Lytchett Fields 1 juvenile Spotted Redshank.

Great White Egrets – Holes Bay – John Pick


Harbour Update – posted 19/08/18

Posted on: August 22nd, 2018 by Birds of Poole Harbour

It was Osprey central again with 2 in Middlebere and 3 in the Wareham Channel.  On Lytchett Fields there 14 Green Sandpiper and 6 Greenshank. On the Sunnyside Scrape there was 1 Wood Sandpiper, 1 Little Ringed Plover and 1 Wheatear.


Harbour Update – posted 18/08/18

Posted on: August 22nd, 2018 by Birds of Poole Harbour

It was quite the day for Osprey sightings today! There were 3 sightings in the Wareham Channel, a favoured hunting spot, a juvenile on Coombe Heath at RSPB Arne and two sightings in the Middlebere Channel. They’re obviously being very active! The Purple Heron roosted on Little Sea, Studland again and 10 Spoonbill were sighted in Brownsea Lagoon, in addition to 9 flying past RSPB Arne.


Harbour Update – posted 17/08/18

Posted on: August 22nd, 2018 by Birds of Poole Harbour

It was a good day for raptor sightings on Coombe Heath at RSPB Arne, with 1 Osprey, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Peregrine and 1 buzzard. The Purple Heron came to roost on Little Sea, Studland again and 2 Wheatear were seen at Baiter Park.


Harbour Update – posted 16/08/18

Posted on: August 22nd, 2018 by Birds of Poole Harbour

The purple heron was spotted roosting at Little Sea, Studland again today and a juvenile Spotted Redshank and a Green Sandpiper were recorded at RSPB Lytchett Fields.


Harbour Update – posted 15/08/18

Posted on: August 22nd, 2018 by Birds of Poole Harbour

A relatively quiet day today with 1 Whinchat at RSPB Lytchett Fields, a Green Sandpiper at Holton Lee and 2 Osprey seen on Coombe Heath at RSPB Arne.


Harbour Update – posted 14/08/18

Posted on: August 22nd, 2018 by Birds of Poole Harbour

The most exciting bird of today was a very early sighting of a ringtail Hen Harrier at RSPB Arne. Spoonbill numbers on Brownsea Lagoon rose to 8, where a Peregrine was also spotted flying over. Lots of action was recorded at RSPB Lytchett Fields with 1 Ruff, 9 Green Sandpiper, 2 Common Sandpiper, 12 Snipe, 1 Water Rail, 57 Lapwing and 1 Stonechat. The star of the show was the wood sandpiper, which was also seen at Holton Lee. Migrant birds caught at Ballard Down included 20 Tree Pipit, 2 Pied Flycatcher and both adult and juvenile Common Whitethroat.


Harbour Update – posted 13/08/18

Posted on: August 14th, 2018 by Birds of Poole Harbour

Things are still ticking along nicely at the moment with autumn migration, and although a bit slower today, there’s no doubt that over the coming weeks we’ll experience some really nice ‘falls’ of birds right across the harbour. This morning migration through Ballard was a bit slower with only 21 Sedge Warbler, 5 Grasshopper Warbler, 2 Reed Warbler, 1 Garden Warbler and 2 Whitethroat logged. At Lytchett Fields there were 21 Green Sandpiper, 1 Ruff, 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Wood Sandpiper, 7 Common Sandpiper, 10 Greenshank, 105 Lapwing, 38 Dunlin and a Whinchat again. The Purple Heron at Littlesea seems to be going nowhere fast and came into roost at 20:50 at the southern end of Littlesea. In Middlebere there were 2 adult Osprey and 6 Spoonbill on the high tide. Out over the Wareham Channel another (or the same) 2 Osprey were fishing at dawn along with a single Hobby and Marsh Harrier.


Harbour Update – posted 12/08/18

Posted on: August 13th, 2018 by Birds of Poole Harbour

Today was pretty grim but after this summers heat wave it was nice to see such a sustained period of rain and despite the damp there was some good coverage around the harbour. Out in Poole Bay a flock of 20 Gannet fished for most of the morning best viewed off Studland Beach. In Middlebere there were 6 Spoonbill, 1 Spotted Redshank, 6 Curlew, 4 Common Redshank, 1 Greenshank, 6 Grey Plover, 250 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Avocet, 1 Green Sandpiper and an Osprey with the first Wigeon of the autumn also logged. On the Brownsea Lagoon there were 14 Curlew, 16 Bar-tailed Godwit, 9 Black-tailed Godwit, 15 Greenshank, 21 Avocet, 19 Ringed Plover, 1 Grey Plover, 7 Sanderling, 192 Dunlin, 2 Turnstone and 497 Oystercatcher. On Lytchett Fields both the Curlew Sandpiper and Wood Sandpiper remained and there was a general increase in other wader species with 37 Dunlin, 51 Black-tailed Godwit, 6 Ringed Plover, 8 Common Sandpiper, 10 Greenshank, 21 Common Snipe and there was a single Whinchat too.

Dartford Warbler – Hartland Moor – Nick Gadeene


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